AP Studio Art Lesson Plan by Jane HarlowTitle: Juxtaposition Guiding Questions · How and why do artists create juxtaposition within a still life composition?
Learning Goals · Students will create a still life drawing that explores the concept of juxtaposition through design elements and principles.
Prerequisites · Understanding of elements and principles of design · Basic drawing techniques: line quality, overlapping, shading, perspective
Inspirations William Michael Harnett, Violin and Music, 1888
Georgia O’Keeffe, Horse’s Skull with White Rose, 1931; Three Shells, 1937, Pelvis Bone II, 1944 (one)
Salvador Dali, Still Life – Fast Moving, 1956 Janet Fish, Raspberries and Goldfish, 1981; After Leslie Left, 1983-4 (one) Activity Ask students to share what the term “juxtaposition” means to them. Then share with students that juxtaposition can be defined as placing things together, to suggest a link between them or to emphasize a contrast between them – or both! Have students to consider the following questions as they view a diverse set of examples of still lifes that illustrate the concept of juxtaposition (see Inspirations above):
Which artworks convey juxtaposition by highlighting connections between components of the still life? Which works convey juxtaposition by emphasizing contrasts within the composition? Do some works do both?
Describe the roles that design elements of line, shape (positive and negative), and value play in conveying a sense of juxtaposition within specific compositions.
How do the spatial relationships created by artists express juxtaposition? Is the design principle of movement involved?
Why do you think juxtaposition is a quality that some artists strive for in their compositions? What can juxtaposition bring to a still life representation?
Engage students in critiquing approaches to juxtaposition in the exemplary still life compositions.As they view and analyze other artists’ work, ask students to discuss, write about, and sketch ideas about juxtaposition in their sketchbooks/visual journals. Journal/sketchbook entries should continue throughout the project to inform students’ work as it evolves.
Next, set up a large still life arrangement and/or several smaller ones for students to observe. Be sure to create arrangements that include a variety of shapes, forms, values, and textures among the objects displayed. Ask students to choose a section of the still life to sketch. The area of focus should be an arrangement of objects which suggests juxtaposition through connections between objects and/or through contrasts in the objects and how they relate to each other. Objects should represent juxtaposition through similarities as well as contrasts in shape, form, value, and texture. When students have identified the portion of the still life arrangement they would like to draw, encourage them to take several minutes to carefully observe the objects, perhaps using a viewfinder cut from a piece of paper to frame their area of focus.
Direct students to make several sketches of their area of focus, drawing the objects they have selected to create compositions which demonstrate juxtaposition. As they create a series of sketches, ask students to consider rearranging their selected objects as they draw, representing them upside down and/or sideways. Inform students that they may alter the size and proportional relationships of objects to emphasize juxtaposition. Explain that they can suggest movement in their compositions through the placement of objects in the picture plane, perhaps placing some objects in a diagonal position, or by drawing objects entering and leaving the composition. Students can also suggest movement by allowing objects to intersect and overlap, by creating a transparent effect for some forms, and by repeating lines and shapes to create a pattern. As students work on their sketches, encourage them to explore a variety of ways to represent juxtaposition using the objects of their choice and the elements and principles of design. Remind students to refer to their journals to both inform and document the progress of their work. Provide supportive and guiding feedback, asking students to explain how their composition depicts the concept of juxtaposition. When students have completed several sketches that demonstrate juxtapositions of their selected still life objects, have them engage in critiques. Students should present their sketches for feedback toward honing their ideas about how to represent juxtaposition. Have students provide evidence from their sketches as they determine which compositional ideas most successfully depict juxtaposition. Model ways for students to suggest improvements to each other’s strategies. Once students have identified their most successful composition and honed their chosen approach to representing juxtaposition of their objects, they will create a final, large format black and white drawing. In their final drawing students should actively engage all areas of the composition, balancing positive and negative space. Remind students to include movement and a variety of values to create modeled, flat, and transparent forms as well as contrasts of light and dark in the foreground and background. Different qualities of line and mark-making can also be employed to emphasize connections between and differences among elements of the composition. Help students make choices which best support their artistic intent. Query students on which skills and ideas might be honed to strengthen their drawing and help them plan to achieve this. As students exhibit their completed drawings for feedback, ask them to write and/or talk about the decisions they made in creating their composition. Encourage students to reflect on how they worked with spatial relationships, value contrasts, positive and negative shapes, line quality, and movement to illustrate juxtaposition. This critique can be done with a classmate, in small groups, with you, or as a presentation to the entire class. Students should describe why they chose specific objects, how they planned to represent juxtaposition within their composition, how their final work conveys the idea of juxtaposition, and assess the outcome. How and why did their ideas change throughout the process? Is the idea of juxtaposition clearly represented? As students present their work, ensure that they receive constructive feedback to help them understand which approaches were most successful. Also make sure each student understands how their approaches could be further developed toward even more effective visual representations of juxtaposition. Have students document a summary of feedback in their journal/sketchbook and create a digital file of their drawing for inclusion in their digital portfolio. Emerging: There is an identifiable attempt to convey the concept of juxtaposition within the still life drawing by accentuating similarities and/or differences in objects and their relationships. The work demonstrates rudimentary skills with respect to drawing techniques such as varied line quality and mark-making, shading, overlapping, and perspective. A basic understanding of some compositional elements and principles such as line, shape, space, value, contrast, and movement can be observed. The decision-making in the composition is conventional.
Proficient: The concept of juxtaposition is clearly conveyed in some apects of the still life drawing by accentuating similarities and/or differences in objects and their relationships. The work demonstrates a moderate understanding of foundational visual concepts with somewhat successful compositional resolution, applying elements and principles of line, shape, space, value, contrast, and movement. Moderately successful execution of drawing techniques such as varied line quality and mark-making, shading, overlapping, and perspective is observed. The work shows a relationship between form and content.
Advanced: The concept of juxtaposition is conveyed throughout the still life drawing by accentuating similarities and/or differences in objects and their relationships. The work demonstrates a strong understanding of drawing through involved visual concepts and is a well-structured composition that articulates elements and principles of line, shape, space, value, contrast, and movement. Execution of drawing techniques and ideas such as varied line quality and mark-making, shading, overlapping, and perspective is generally successful.
2-D Design Extensions: This project’s focus on using the principles and elements of design to create a work of art that conveys an idea –juxtaposition – offers many additional possibilities for 2-D Design. Students can work as outlined above, perhaps de-emphasizing the drawing aspects of line quality and mark-making, and increasing their focus on integrating the elements and principles of design within their composition. Student may create a work that illustrates juxtaposition using graphic design, digital imaging, photography, collage, fabric design, weaving, or other two-dimensional media. Students may wish to introduce the element of color into their compositions as well.
3-D Design Extensions: Working from a selection of natural and man-made found objects, students can create an actual still life composition that demonstrates the concept of juxtaposition. Students’ decisions about objects and their arrangement on a selected or created base should focus on representing juxtaposition as they apply with the elements and principles of design in a three-dimensional space. Students may wish to add color and/or texture (paint, fabric, clay, plaster, for example) to the surfaces of their objects to communicate the idea of juxtaposition.
AP Studio Art Lesson Plan by Jane HarlowTitle: Juxtaposition
Guiding Questions
· How and why do artists create juxtaposition within a still life composition?
Learning Goals
· Students will create a still life drawing that explores the concept of juxtaposition through design elements and principles.
Prerequisites
· Understanding of elements and principles of design
· Basic drawing techniques: line quality, overlapping, shading, perspective
Inspirations
William Michael Harnett, Violin and Music, 1888
Georgia O’Keeffe, Horse’s Skull with White Rose, 1931; Three Shells, 1937, Pelvis Bone II, 1944 (one)
Salvador Dali, Still Life – Fast Moving, 1956 Janet Fish, Raspberries and Goldfish, 1981; After Leslie Left, 1983-4 (one)
Activity
Ask students to share what the term “juxtaposition” means to them. Then share with students that juxtaposition can be defined as placing things together, to suggest a link between them or to emphasize a contrast between them – or both!
Have students to consider the following questions as they view a diverse set of examples of still lifes that illustrate the concept of juxtaposition (see Inspirations above):
Engage students in critiquing approaches to juxtaposition in the exemplary still life compositions. As they view and analyze other artists’ work, ask students to discuss, write about, and sketch ideas about juxtaposition in their sketchbooks/visual journals. Journal/sketchbook entries should continue throughout the project to inform students’ work as it evolves.
Next, set up a large still life arrangement and/or several smaller ones for students to observe. Be sure to create arrangements that include a variety of shapes, forms, values, and textures among the objects displayed. Ask students to choose a section of the still life to sketch. The area of focus should be an arrangement of objects which suggests juxtaposition through connections between objects and/or through contrasts in the objects and how they relate to each other. Objects should represent juxtaposition through similarities as well as contrasts in shape, form, value, and texture. When students have identified the portion of the still life arrangement they would like to draw, encourage them to take several minutes to carefully observe the objects, perhaps using a viewfinder cut from a piece of paper to frame their area of focus.
Direct students to make several sketches of their area of focus, drawing the objects they have selected to create compositions which demonstrate juxtaposition. As they create a series of sketches, ask students to consider rearranging their selected objects as they draw, representing them upside down and/or sideways. Inform students that they may alter the size and proportional relationships of objects to emphasize juxtaposition. Explain that they can suggest movement in their compositions through the placement of objects in the picture plane, perhaps placing some objects in a diagonal position, or by drawing objects entering and leaving the composition. Students can also suggest movement by allowing objects to intersect and overlap, by creating a transparent effect for some forms, and by repeating lines and shapes to create a pattern. As students work on their sketches, encourage them to explore a variety of ways to represent juxtaposition using the objects of their choice and the elements and principles of design. Remind students to refer to their journals to both inform and document the progress of their work. Provide supportive and guiding feedback, asking students to explain how their composition depicts the concept of juxtaposition.
When students have completed several sketches that demonstrate juxtapositions of their selected still life objects, have them engage in critiques. Students should present their sketches for feedback toward honing their ideas about how to represent juxtaposition. Have students provide evidence from their sketches as they determine which compositional ideas most successfully depict juxtaposition. Model ways for students to suggest improvements to each other’s strategies.
Once students have identified their most successful composition and honed their chosen approach to representing juxtaposition of their objects, they will create a final, large format black and white drawing. In their final drawing students should actively engage all areas of the composition, balancing positive and negative space. Remind students to include movement and a variety of values to create modeled, flat, and transparent forms as well as contrasts of light and dark in the foreground and background. Different qualities of line and mark-making can also be employed to emphasize connections between and differences among elements of the composition. Help students make choices which best support their artistic intent. Query students on which skills and ideas might be honed to strengthen their drawing and help them plan to achieve this.
As students exhibit their completed drawings for feedback, ask them to write and/or talk about the decisions they made in creating their composition. Encourage students to reflect on how they worked with spatial relationships, value contrasts, positive and negative shapes, line quality, and movement to illustrate juxtaposition. This critique can be done with a classmate, in small groups, with you, or as a presentation to the entire class. Students should describe why they chose specific objects, how they planned to represent juxtaposition within their composition, how their final work conveys the idea of juxtaposition, and assess the outcome. How and why did their ideas change throughout the process? Is the idea of juxtaposition clearly represented? As students present their work, ensure that they receive constructive feedback to help them understand which approaches were most successful. Also make sure each student understands how their approaches could be further developed toward even more effective visual representations of juxtaposition. Have students document a summary of feedback in their journal/sketchbook and create a digital file of their drawing for inclusion in their digital portfolio.
Emerging:
There is an identifiable attempt to convey the concept of juxtaposition within the still life drawing by accentuating similarities and/or differences in objects and their relationships. The work demonstrates rudimentary skills with respect to drawing techniques such as varied line quality and mark-making, shading, overlapping, and perspective. A basic understanding of some compositional elements and principles such as line, shape, space, value, contrast, and movement can be observed. The decision-making in the composition is conventional.
Proficient:
The concept of juxtaposition is clearly conveyed in some apects of the still life drawing by accentuating similarities and/or differences in objects and their relationships. The work demonstrates a moderate understanding of foundational visual concepts with somewhat successful compositional resolution, applying elements and principles of line, shape, space, value, contrast, and movement. Moderately successful execution of drawing techniques such as varied line quality and mark-making, shading, overlapping, and perspective is observed. The work shows a relationship between form and content.
Advanced:
The concept of juxtaposition is conveyed throughout the still life drawing by accentuating similarities and/or differences in objects and their relationships. The work demonstrates a strong understanding of drawing through involved visual concepts and is a well-structured composition that articulates elements and principles of line, shape, space, value, contrast, and movement. Execution of drawing techniques and ideas such as varied line quality and mark-making, shading, overlapping, and perspective is generally successful.
2-D Design Extensions: This project’s focus on using the principles and elements of design to create a work of art that conveys an idea –juxtaposition – offers many additional possibilities for 2-D Design. Students can work as outlined above, perhaps de-emphasizing the drawing aspects of line quality and mark-making, and increasing their focus on integrating the elements and principles of design within their composition. Student may create a work that illustrates juxtaposition using graphic design, digital imaging, photography, collage, fabric design, weaving, or other two-dimensional media. Students may wish to introduce the element of color into their compositions as well.
3-D Design Extensions: Working from a selection of natural and man-made found objects, students can create an actual still life composition that demonstrates the concept of juxtaposition. Students’ decisions about objects and their arrangement on a selected or created base should focus on representing juxtaposition as they apply with the elements and principles of design in a three-dimensional space. Students may wish to add color and/or texture (paint, fabric, clay, plaster, for example) to the surfaces of their objects to communicate the idea of juxtaposition.
Emerging Proficient Advanced